A Harvest of Hope - Recipe Book

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HARVEST OF HOPE

RECIPE BOOK

Making a good start with veggies Recipes collected by Widcombe Baptist Church 1

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Colossians 1:19-20

Contents Introduction

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Super Salads

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Mighty Grains & Pulses

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OUR HARVEST STORY We love God. That’s why, at recent a Harvest Celebration, our whole church came together to explore how we could honour him by caring for creation.

Keeping on top of everything we feel we should be doing – recycling, driving less, avoiding single use plastics, saying no to fast fashion (and the list goes on) – can be overwhelming. But research is pointing to one thing as the biggest, most meaningful change we can make for the planet. Eating less meat. It’s because animal agriculture takes a heavy toll on creation, from polluting our countryside and rivers to fuelling climate change. It’s sobering to consider that livestock farming puts out more greenhouse gases than all transportation combined.

For many of us the thought of cutting back on meat is a little daunting. What on earth will I cook? Won’t we compromise on flavour? Will a vegetable diet be wholesome enough? So a few of us came together to serve up some veggie inspiration for our Harvest Lunch.

On the day, people were delighted and surprised by the vibrant, delicious range of tastes. So to celebrate what God has given us, and to encourage you, we’ve collected all of the recipes here. We hope you enjoy making them part of your every day.

To find out more about what we did at our Harvest Event and the theology behind creation care, please read the article at the end of this eBook, “A harvest of hope for God’s World?”

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r e p Su s d a l Sa Pull out your biggest bowls and platters and layer on these fresh, bold flavour and colour combinations.

Ensaladilla Rusa

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Puy Lentil Salad

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Crunchy Cabbage, Apple and Celery Salad

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Ensaladilla Rusa A Spanish vegetarian Russian Salad 5-6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small cubes 4oz peas Fine green beans, top and tailed cut into small pieces 2 hard boiled eggs.

Green olives (plain or stuffed with red pepper) cut in halves or quarters Cocktail gherkins, a handful (as you wish) cut in pieces Roasted red peppers, cut into small pieces (Spanish “piquillo pepper” or similar ones are the Greek red peppers) For the dressing Mayonnaise - amounts as you wish, for a lighter dressing combine some crème fraîche or natural yogurt and cream.

Salt and pepper to taste.

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Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes (take care they don’t mash!) drain and spread them on a large plate to let them cool.

2 Do the same with the carrots, they will take longer to cook.

Same again with the peas and beans, when vegetables are cold add togther, mix well (taking care not to mash the potatoes).

3 Make the mayo mixture in a separate bowl when you have the right consistency and flavour add to the vegetable mixture coating well all.

4 Transfer onto an oval/round dish or plater.

Tip All are a rough estimate you may like to have more or less of any given ingredient depending on your taste. This recipe is very popular in Spain specially served as a “tapa”. You will not taste one the same, they vary so much, so HAPPY COOKING, and be creative!

(For lovers of fish, a tin of tuna and/or some prawns are extra that bring a different “nuance” to this old and well loved recipe).

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Puy Lentil Salad 250g Puy or small grey lentils ½ a large onion or a whole small one peeled 1 small clove of garlic Bouquet garni sachet 2 red peppers char grilled until black, then skinned, deseeded and cut into small strips 2-3 hard boiled eggs chopped Some olives Lots of fresh herbs – eg tarragon, chives, parsley, chervil ¼ pint (150 ml) olive oil vinaigrette ratio 4:1 olive oil and balsamic vinegar

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Put the first 4 into a pan, cover generously with cold water.

Simmer for approx. 25-30 mins try them to see if they are cooked, if not simmer for a little longer until they are.

2 Tip the whole lot into a sieve and remove the onion, garlic and bouquet garni. Transfer the hot lentils into a bowl containing the vinaigrette and leave to cool – until the next day if you like.

3 Now add the chopped hard boiled eggs the olives halved, and the char grilled peppers and generous quantities of chopped herbs. For fish eaters you can also add a small tin of anchovies, drained and chopped small. Mix well to combine everything and check for seasoning add salt and black pepper as required.

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Crunchy Cabbage, Apple and Celery Salad Decide quantities and proportions according to taste and numbers of servings Hard white cabbage – half a fairly small cabbage goes quite a long way 2-3 sticks of celery chopped 1 apple quartered, cored and chopped Juice from half a lemon 1 good sized head of chicory Small bunch of mint, leaves stripped and chopped For the dressing 150 ml Natural yoghurt ½ tsp dark brown sugar 1 lemon – grated zest and juice of half 1 tablespoon of finely chopped spring onion Salt and pepper

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Chop the cabbage and celery. Place in a large bowl.

2 Toss the chopped apple in the lemon juice from the half the lemon.

3 Add to the cabbage and then chop and add the chicory and the mint.

4 Mix up the dressing to taste and mix in with the vegetables.

Tip You can be creative and add other ingredients but I like to keep a balance of bitter and sweet and the ‘white’ appearance and crunchy texture. Sometimes I add cashew nuts chopped or a sprinkling of fennel seed or caraway.

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y t h Mig & s n i Gra s e s l Pu Raid the store cupboard to create these delicious, filling dishes packed with protein and fibre.

Bountiful Beans Dragon Bean Roll

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Minestra

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Vegetable and Lentil Casserole

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Dragon Bean Roll Serves 4-6 Oil, for frying 1 onion, sliced 2 cloves garlic, crushed 225g mushrooms, sliced 1 tin aduki beans 100g ground almonds 1 roll ready made puff pastry 1 egg for glaze

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Preheat oven to 200°c /Gas mark 6.

2 SautĂŠ the onion and garlic in the oil for 10 mins until soft.

Add the mushrooms, cover, and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes.

3 Put the contents of the pan into a food processor with the aduki beans, almonds, and salt and pepper to taste, and blend until smooth.

4 Place the filling along the length of the pastry sheet and seal into a large roll, turning over so the join is underneath.

5 Brush with egg to glaze, and bake for 35 minutes.

Tip For a vegan Dragon Bean Roll, subsitue the egg glaze with dairy free milk. Also, check the puff pastry is vegan - most are!

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Minestra Italian Bean Casserole - Serves 8 55g butter 1 red onion thinly sliced 4 cloves garlic crushed 1 red and 1 green pepper thinly sliced 170g white cabbage chopped 8 ripe tomatoes quartered Ÿ pint (150ml) red wine 1 tablespoon each dried thyme & marjoram 1 lemon halved A few bay leaves ½ pint (300ml) tomato juice 2tbsp tomato paste 225g cannellini beans soaked overnight and cooked (or use canned) 55g black olives 110g peas (frozen is fine) Freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 Melt the butter and sautĂŠ the onion, garlic and peppers.

2 Stir in the cabbage tomatoes, red wine, herbs, bay leaves and lemon halves.

3 Cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer for about 45 mins

to 1 hour until the vegetables are cooked and flavours mingled.

4 Fish out the lemon halves and discard.

5 Add the tomato juice and paste, cooked beans, olives and peas.

6 Season and leave the lid off the pan to allow the stew to reduce and thicken.

7 Serve with Parmesan on the side. (Garlic bread is also nice to mop up the juices!)

Tip For a vegan Minestra, use margarine and a vegan subsitute for the parmesan.

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Vegetable and Lentil Casserole Serves 4 1 onion, peeled but kept whole 10 cloves 225g green lentils 1 bay leaf 1.5 litres vegetable stock 2 leeks, sliced 2 potatoes, diced 2 carrots, chopped 3 courgettes, sliced 1 celery stick, chopped 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped 1 tbsp lemon juice

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Preheat the oven to 180Ëš C /Gas 4.

2 Press the cloves into the onion. Put the lentils into a large

casserole dish, add the onion and bay leaf and pour in the stock. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

3 Remove the onion and discard the cloves. Slice the onion and return it to the casserole with the vegetables. Stir thoroughly and season to taste. Cover and return to the oven for 1 hour.

4 Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice and serve straight from the casserole dish.

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